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Aurora Players
P.O. Box 206
East Aurora, NY 14052
Audition Dates:
March 14: 11am to 1pm & Monday March 16: 7pm to 9pm
Callbacks: Wednesday March 18: 7pm to 9pm
The Hobbit
By Markland Taylor
Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien
The classic fantasy about Bilbo, a young and extremely reluctant Hobbit, who leaves home and sets off with a band of adventurers to slay Smaug the dragon and recover an enormous treasure, discovering the ring in the process.
Director: Christopher Fire
Christopher Fire is a visual artist, director, and actor whose most recent collaborations with Aurora Players were in directing Dearly Departed (2019) and portraying The Wolf in Into the Woods (2022), where he also earned a TANYS award for Excellence in the Creation & Operation of the Shadow Puppet elements. Last February, he directed The Play That Goes Wrong for Rocking Horse Productions, which earned numerous awards, including Outstanding Achievements in Direction, Production Design, Concept, Execution and Technical Direction, and Ensemble Performance to the Cast. Chris holds a BFA in Illustration from UB with a minor in Digital Film from SUNY at Buffalo. In addition to theatre pursuits, Chris has worked in film, art
restoration, illustration, and maintains a graphic design side hustle.
Cast Members
Eric Miller
Ladahlord
Testimonials
Great show. Great music! Great costumes! Great choreography! Great acting and directing…all great! Don’t miss it!
Magical show! Amazing performers, costumes, staging and music. I laughed and cried; it became a part of me! Highly recommend – it’s a performance for both children and adults!
James and the Giant Peach was superb! Music, dancing, acting, stage design and direction were all of the highest quality! Thoroughly enjoyable.
Awesome show. So glad I got to see this production!
We really enjoyed it!! It was our first time seeing a show there, we’ll be sure to come again.
CAST – CHARACTERS AND DESCRIPTIONS
Sign ups for auditions will begin January.
Auditions are open to everyone 13 years old and older. Many traditionally male characters in the story can be gender-swapped or played by women in men’s roles.
All roles, excluding Bilbo, Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, Kili, and maybe Gandalf, may be cast or doubled from the ensemble. Ensemble actors will likely play two or three roles and will be heavily involved in the technical aspects of the storytelling. Dwarf roles should attempt a Scottish accent; other accents noted by role below.
Bilbo Baggins (Any gender, 13 and up) – A well-fed and well-to-do Hobbit. Hobbits are smaller than dwarves; they are simple, good-natured folk who like to be comfortably at home and have no use for adventures. Bilbo is a very unlikely hero. Standard British accent (working class).
Thorin Oakenshield (Male, 20 & up preferably) – Dwarven Prince of the Lonely Mountain, and rightful heir to the throne. Thorin is a very important dwarf and knows it, which makes him sometimes curt, haughty, and even belligerent at times.
Dwalin (Any gender, 13 and up) – Dwarves generally come off as gruff and suspicious and are slow to trust, but are fiercely loyal to their brotherhood of friends, and Dwalin is no exception. Dwalin is a Dwarf’s Dwarf.
Balin (Any gender, 30 and up preferably) – The eldest of the dwarves and Dwalin’s older brother. Dwalin is the wisest, least quick to anger of the dwarves, and displays the most understanding to Bilbo.
Kili (Any gender, 13 and up) – The youngest of the dwarves and Thorin’s nephew. Courageous, strong, and as a young dwarf, the most playful of them. Growing up more integrated with other peoples, Kili is the least insular of the dwarves.
Gandalf (Any gender, 40 and up preferably) – After Merlin, Gandalf is the prototype for all wizards you’ve come to know. He appears as a wise old man, yet is somehow a scamp, eccentric, mysterious, grandfatherly kind, yet terrible to anger.
Gollum (Any gender, 13 and up) – An unnaturally old and emaciated creature that has dwelt so long and solitary an existence underground that he talks to himself almost as if he’s two people. Gollum should give us the shivers. Will likely also be dual cast in other roles.
Elven King (or Queen) (Any gender, 20 & up preferably) – Immortal Elves can live almost forever unless killed. The Wood Elf King is mistrustful of outsiders, is elegant yet severe, has a commanding presence, with an otherworldly bearing. Will likely also be dual-cast in other roles. Standard British (but elegant, with perfect diction).
Bard (Male, 30 and up) – Grim of voice and face, bold, strong, and brave, he is captain of the Lake-Town archers. He is of royal lineage but lives a simple life until he is thrust into a position of leadership. Will likely also be dual-cast in other roles.
Elrond (Any gender, 30 and up preferably) – A noble Elf-lord who is as strong as a warrior, as wise as a wizard, as venerable as a king of dwarves, and as kind as summer. Will likely also be dual-cast in other roles.
Trolls (3) (Male, 20 and up) – Big, dirty, and uncouth. The trolls are perfect for big and tall actors. Troll actors will be dual cast in other roles such as The Great Goblin, Beorn, The Master, The Goblin warlord Bolg, and perhaps others. These should be played with big, high energy (almost like pirates).
Master of Laketown (Male, 40 and up) – The leader of Lake-town. He is greedy and shrewd with a self-important demeanor. Will likely also be dual-cast in other roles.
Smaug (Male, 30 and up) – A wicked and wily fire-breathing red dragon. This will largely be a vocal performance, and the actor will likely also be dual-cast in other roles.
Denizens of Middle-Earth / Ensemble (Any gender, 13 and up) – The Denizens will be on stage in nearly every scene to set the stage for our location, and to portray the inhabitants of Middle-Earth. Examples of characters that will be played by the ensemble are the Goblins, Giant Spiders, Eagles, Wood Elves, Townspeople, and may also be involved in puppeteering some of the story’s more fantastical elements.